Melania Trump’s Approval Ratings: How Do Americans Feel About New First Lady?


Melania Trump’s approval ratings have been released, showing how Americans feel about the new first lady. The 46-year-old is making more appearances as the weeks go by in President Donald Trump’s early presidency, perhaps an indicator that she’s getting more comfortable in the public eye where politics is concerned.

According to a CNN/ORC poll, Melania Trump is scoring well in the approval ratings, which is higher than before Inauguration Day.

CNN reports that Melania Trump’s approval ratings were published in its COVER/LINE newsletter, revealing that the first lady’s favorability has gone up 16 points since her husband was sworn into office.

About 52 percent of Americans have a good opinion of Melania Trump, a marked increase from 36 percent. Last month, Melania’s positive approval rating was at 24 percent, and her unfavorable rating was at 31 percent. Meanwhile, 23 percent had never heard of her. As of now, only 3 percent say they don’t know who the first lady is, and her unfavorable rate has held at 32 percent.

The report credits the higher approval ratings for Mrs. Trump on undecided Americans and those who hadn’t yet formed an opinion of her. Prior to the inauguration, 23 percent had no opinion of the president’s wife, but only 12 percent currently have no opinion.

Moreover, the results fall along party lines, with 86 percent of Republicans having a favorable view of Melania Trump and just 22 percent of Democrats feeling the same way. The approval ratings have a wider gap for Melania Trump than for former First Lady Michelle Obama. In April of 2009, Mrs. Obama had a favorable rating of 93 percent among Democrats and 50 percent among Republicans. During Hillary Clinton’s time as the first lady in 1994, 34 percent of Republicans viewed her favorably while 85 percent of Democrats viewed her the same. Ironically, Clinton’s approval ratings are aligned more with Melania Trump’s.

On another front, Melania’s approval ratings ranked higher with men than women. Fifty-eight percent of men view her positively, compared to 46 percent of women. Michelle Obama’s numbers were the opposite, with 78 percent women and 68 percent of men viewing her favorably. Laura Bush had an even split with 56 percent of women and 55 of men having a positive view of her as the first lady.

When it comes to college-educated women, just 46 percent of women with degrees view her favorably and 34 percent unfavorably; 55 percent of women without degrees view her favorably and 28 percent unfavorably.

Among college-educated men with degrees, 62 percent view her favorably and 72 percent of men without degrees view her unfavorably.

CNN conducted the poll on March 1-4, 2017 with 1,025 adult Americans by phone.

Melania Trump is taking a more active role in carrying out her duties as the first lady. Last week, she was in Washington, D.C., for two bill signings that her husband executed. She also visited a children’s hospital before appearing at President Trump’s first Address to Congress. When she returned to Manhattan, she appeared at another children’s hospital, where she read a Dr. Seuss book to a room full of young patients.

The first lady is often seen meeting her husband at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on the weekends and arrives in Washington, D.C., to greet White House guests. On Wednesday, she’s hosting an International Women’s Day lunch at the White House.

Melania Trump is currently living in Manhattan at Trump Tower with her 10-year-old son, Barron. The two of them will relocate to the White House after Barron finishes the current school year in June.

[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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